A narrow win yesterday for a measure I very much supported--a "Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act" that hopefully will put some teeth into laws in my state to overcome Missouri's status as the Puppy Mill capital of America.

The new law limits dog breeders to owning no more than 50 breeding animals, increases space requirements for dog pens and requires annual vet care for each dog.

http://www.kansascity.com/2010/11/02/2386090/limits-on-dog-breeding-in-missouri.html

Have not read the link yet... but GEEZE.... like 50 breeding animals is such an easy thing to handle! Yikes!

There is a puppy mill in the town of Mexico, Missouri that reportely has 1000 breeding animals--and ten employees. I cannot even imagine. There are more than 1400 puppy mills in this state.

BTW, the new legislation will have no effect on hobby breeders with 10 or fewer breeding animals. Which I think is appropriate. Many/most of those folks are already providing appropriate facilities and care to their dogs. It's the "factory farming" of dogs that is reprehensible. I cannot fathom how a facility can find homes for the puppies produced by 1000 breedstock.

 Quote: Tracy Collins

There is a puppy mill in the town of Mexico, Missouri that reportely has 1000 breeding animals--and ten employees. I cannot even imagine.

Holy ****. Thats 100 animals EVERY DAY for EACH employee to be responsible for.... I know I'm not capable of keeping water clean for 100 animals.

Hopefully they will enforce the law now that they have passed it. That may become an even bigger obstical to overcome, which may include additional employees, transportation, etc. in order to do so.

Unfortunately this is nothing more then what I call a feel good law.
Missouri has the largest number of puppy mills of any State in the Union and only a handful of inspectors.
The few inspectors we have can do nothing unless they inspect the places and the new law pertains to only licensed kennels. The unlicensed kennels are far more numerous and without being told about a problem they are not on the inspector's radar.
I rank it right there with passing more gun laws.
We have more then enough laws on guns and puppy mills, just not enough people to do much about them.

I'm sure you're right, Bob. But it is something. The next step has to be better inspection and enforcement. But inspectors can't enforce laws that don't exist, and this will require improved conditions for the small percentage of kennels that are inspected.

Maybe a few dogs will get a larger pen on the day the inspector shows up allowing them to stand and stretch their legs for a day. If so, my walk to the poll was worth it.

At a minimum, the Proposition got people in Missouri talking about the problem of puppy mills. I think a lot of us in urban areas that don't live near one simply don't have puppy mills on our radar until one is raided and it shows up on the news.

The law was not written by people who care about dogs, HSUS just wants to eliminate all animal husbandry, this is a big step in that direction.
If they truly cared about dogs there wouldn't be the section in the law about breeders of hunting dogs being exempt from this law, unless any of the dogs or puppies they sell goes to someone who will maintain "it in or near the household of the owner". That doesn't sound very caring to me.

And what is good for 11-50 dogs should be good for 1-10 dogs, right? Then why exempt those breeders who have 10 or fewer dogs, or the person with one pet dog?

They didn't include all dogs in the state in this bill because most people wouldn't agree with the space and veterinary care requirements so would not have voted for Proposition B. (Actually it might have passed because most people have no idea what Proposition B actually said, they just read the nice little blurb on the ballot and listened to the radio ads by HSUS)

How many of you pet owners allow your dogs unfettered access inside your house and to the outside?

Quotes from Prop. B
"...at least 12 square feet of indoor floor space per each dog up to 25 inches long; at least 20 square feet of indoor floor space per each dog between 25 and 35 inches long; and at least 30 square feet of indoor floor space per each dog for dogs 35 inches and longer (with the length of the dog measured from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail)."

And:

"”Regular exercise” means constant and unfettered access to an outdoor exercise area that is composed of a solid, ground level surface with adequate drainage; provides some protection against sun, wind, rain, and snow; and provides each dog at least twice the square footage of the indoor floor space provided to that dog."

If pet owners were held to the same standards of breeders then then there would be no more outside kennel or crate inside during the day while you are gone. Fortify a large area in your house with a doggy door going to a large area outside, with a dog house, so that you are up to the same standards required of licensed dog breeders. If you decide that's too much space per dog and you fudge a little on the space, say 10 square feet inside for a small dog, then you would be guilty of a Class C Misdemeanor, the next time it would be a class A Misdemeanor. The same would apply if you applied some antibiotic ointment to a scrape or cut, and if you failed to have the vet see your dog once a year. (Licensed breeders are already required to have kennel inspection by an attending vet once a year.)

How many pet owners would agree with being required to take their dog to the vet every time they got a little boo-boo? I realize that many people choose to do that, but most experienced dog owners (or parents of typical children) know how to deal with minor boo-boos.

Then there are the temperature restrictions. The temps for the dogs cannot exceed 85*, or be under 45* for more than 4 hours.
If I can manage without air conditioning during the summer, and spend several hours outside in the spring, fall, and winter (and I do), why should acclimated dogs have to be in an air conditioned building in the summer and heated building in the spring and fall?

Show breeders have gotten the ax too. They are not allowed to crate their dogs when preparing for a show. No crating is allowed to contain a dog waiting to be groomed, the handler would have to keep the dog on a leash when they go to the bathroom or to a restaurant, or while sleeping. Sounds like it might be difficult to manage showing dogs.

Sport dog trainers are included if they also have more than 10 breeding females. Try keeping working line dogs out of any crates at a trial or training session. FUN!

Retail pet shops, humane societies, shelters, and rescues are exempt from any of the Prop. B law.

http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/2010petitions/2010-085.asp

I'm all for increasing the current living space of kennel dogs (and they do have room under the current law to stand, walk/run and to stretch out their legs), but this is ridiculous.

Tracy, do the math and see how much space you would need for your dogs under this law, and then calculate how much space you would need if your dogs didn't get along and each had to have their own separate space 24 hours a day.

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We have more then enough laws on guns and puppy mills, just not enough people to do much about them.

Yup! for the life of me I can't see why they want to pass a new law when they don't have the manpower/money to enforce what they've already got on the books.

HSUS=well meaning folks with no real experience, IMO